Piano Lessons near Santa Monica

Piano Lessons near Santa Monica

All levels

We work with total beginners to the most advanced students.

All Ages

We work with total beginners to the most advanced students.

All Styles

We offer lessons in Classical, Jazz, Pop, Blues, R&B.

At Angeles Academy of Music, it’s our goal to provide the best quality private piano lessons near you. Central to Los Angeles in Westwood Village, we are easily accessible from Santa Monica, Brentwood, Beverly Hills, Centruy City, and Culver City. Our piano lessons are open to all ages and levels, and for children ages five and up. We also specialize in lessons for adults. For almost ten years, we have helped thousands on thier musical journey. Our talented, friendly, and qualified faculty can help you learn any style or genre of music, and lay the foundation for proper technique in the process. You will learn how to sit at the piano, proper hand position, how to produce great sound and how to perform. More advanced piano students learn to refine their technique and develop artistry and musicality. Our instructors are trained to not only get you the skill and technique you need, but also how to keep in fun and engaging by working on the music YOU love.

Piano Classes for Kids

Our instructor have a lot of experience with total beginners, and know how to guide them through to an advanced level.

Piano Lessons for Adults

We have a large group of adult students that enjoy weekly lessons with us.

Why Study the piano with us?

Great Instructors “a great school is just an amazing group of teachers.”

In our hiring process, we filter hundreds of prospective instructors in search of the qualities that make a great instructor. There are four qualities we are looking for. The first is a strong, positive personality. This is just essential to keeping you excited about music, and engaged during lessons. Secondly, we look for the instructor’s ability to create intelligent, achievable goals customized to your needs. Great teachers will help you learn the techniques and skill you need, but do it though the music you love. Thirdly, a great instructor is intuitive. They have the sensitivity to know if what they are teaching you is being understood, and if their delivery is effective, (Keeping the energy and excitement high). Finally, we look for outstanding educational credentials. Our instructors possess degrees from some of the finest music schools in the world, places like Juilliard, USC, Berkley School of Music, Indiana University, and Royal Conservatory of London.

University Trained

Background Checked

Warm Personalities

Years of Experience

Recitals and Mastercalsses

Students can interact with pears by practicipating regular recitals and masterclasses, consistency you can’t get from a small private voice studio. We have regular spring and fall recitals that all our students are welcome to participate in. These are age and level appropriate, and often include certificates, metal, and trophies for achievement.

Recitals we Offer

Beginning- Intermediate Level Recitals

Intermediate -Advanced Recital

Honors Recitals

Owned and Operated by Emmy Award winning Composer

In choosing a music school, its very imporant to select one that is musician owned. Angeles Academy of Music is owned by Emmy Award winning Composer Nathan Pangrazio. His accoplishments in the music field, combined with his years of passion as as a performer, a composer and as an educator all combine to him the best person to operate a quality music school. Nathan has crafted Angeles Academy from his extensive knowledge and backround in music education, with the priority to make sure each student is meeting their individual potential.
Nathan has ensured that every team memeber share his goals and passion to bring the finest quailty music education to Los Angeles.

Open 7 Days a week for busy families

We know families in the Los Angeles area are busy, and thats why we are open 7 days a week, providing lessons from

Proper hand position is very important to being able to play piano capably.

The fingers should be curved, especially the final joint of every finger. A good hand position can often be felt by simply relaxing your hands at your sides and then bringing the hands up to the piano. Look for a slight C shape between the thumb and index fingers, and try to maintain this while playing. The wrist should remain level on top. Generally fingers should point strait ahead in conjunction with the keys. Each finger should be centered on each of the five notes to allow for greatest accurately. posture should be upright, and seat should be high enough that the elbows do not drop below the level of the keys. Shoulders should be low, and the wrist and elbows should be flexible.

Scales are very important, because it gives the aspiring pianist an opportunity to just work on legato, and evenness. Legato, (Italian for Tied Together), is an important concept for piano, and best practiced with the scale. The idea is that notes are smoothly connected from one to the next. At the moment the first note is released the next one is pressed down. This means there is no overlap between the sound of the first and second note, and but no gap in sound. The next consideration is how even the sound is. Even refers to volume level, and also rhythm. It can be quite challenging for the beginning pianist to keep every note the same volume level, especially the thumb since it is heavier and tends to make more sound. Rhythm is best practiced with a metronome, and steadily increased as everything becomes more comfortable.

Sight reading is an important skill for any aspiring musician. To begin, students are taught about treble and bass clefs, (different ranges), and to identify notes that are on the lines, and notes that are in the spaces between the lines. To remember the notes on the lines, students learn phrases such as, “every good boy does fine” The first letter of each word are the notes on the lines of the treble clef from bottom to top. E, G, B, D, F. The notes that are in the spaces between the lines spell the word “Face”, F, A, C, E. As students become faster at identifying these notes based on these simple phrases, the phrases wear off and they simply recognize the note for what it is. In addition to identifying notes, sight reading includes understanding rhythm. Rhythm is differentiated in notation by notes filled in or empty, and with different stems and beams. These indicate different speeds of notes. Even the most accomplished musicians can often improve their sight reading. More advanced training involves pushing speed and looking ahead, and through creating progressive goals.

Music theory teaches us how recognize and identify patterns across all music. It is fascinating because it starts to bring together a clearer understanding, and patterns once complex become simple. Imagine a complicated math equation that actually has a very simple answer.
Learning theory involves a mixture of ear training, (the ability to identify harmonies and melodies), as well as identifying and labeling these patterns on paper. Harmony is seen in notation vertically, and is often what might be described as the background in which a melody is set. Harmony consists of chords, (3 or more notes heard simultaneously), and can be Major, Minor, Diminished, and several others. These differences in sound are often described emotionally; happy, sad, or scary. The beginning of music theory training might involve identifying the difference between a couple of these chords. Ultimately, advanced theory students are able to write out the music they hear, and to analyze harmonies and melodies in musical scores. A full grasp on the structure of music can take years to develop.

Frequently Asked Questions about Piano Lessons

Why choose the Piano?

The piano is a great instrument to start with. This is because its very visual, and produces a great sound without having to learn to produce good sound, (such as on the violin or the guitar). Because of this, its ideal for a young child and is probably why its the instrument of choice for most beginning music students. The piano is also the best instrument to know in order to understand music theory. Music theory is the study of the structure of music. This is because while most instruments can only play one note at a time, the piano is capable of playing many. While the piano is the easiest instrument to begin with and provides a great musical foundation, it is also the hardest instrument to master.

When should my Child start piano Lessons?

Usually 4 and up. This is hard to answer, because music requires concentration and focus to master children are ready at different ages. The best way to find out is enroll in classes and see how well the child responds. If the parents can provide some structure and oversight to practicing that makes a huge fifference. Also attendance of our masterclasses and rectitals often sparks curiosity about learning the piano.

How long does it take to learn the piano?

Usually a few months. There is no set answer of how long it takes to learn to play piano. With regular practice a basic level of playing can be accomplished in a few months. Most of our students take lessons on a long term-basis because they want to be constantly improving and they find the lessons enjoyable.

Is it too late to learn the piano?

No. This is a question we frequently get from adults who are interested in getting back into piano after many years, or who are thinking of starting for the first time. We fully believe that its possible to learn piano at any age, and in fact some element of learning such as the technique, theory, and reading can be faster learned by the adult mind.

Piano Lessons near Santa Monica Related Post Listing.

One of the most frequent questions we get about piano lessons for kids, is whether a keyboard will suffice to start, or if a real piano is needed. We will seek to answer this question and expand on the subject to help parents get educated and make the right decisions from the beginning. Usually, the...

I am pretty convinced Pangrazio has the best piano lessons in LA. My 3 children have been taking piano at the school with Jesica for the last 1 1/2 years. Jesica is a brilliant and kind teacher. Her patiences is truly extraordinary. My children started at ages 3, 5, 6. It is quite astonishing how proficient they are on the piano with only one, half hour, lesson a week.

My daughter takes violin from Isabel and piano with Jesica. We could not be more happy. She is 10 years old and a total beginner on piano and takes violin at her elementary school but in a group setting. Honestly, they are all so flexible and easy to work with. Nathan is kind and easy to deal with. If you want excellent teachers plus a flexible schedule and a fair price, I highly recommend them. I’m so happy with the results and my daughter loves her teachers.

I highly recommend Angeles Academy of Music for ALL types of singers! I had previously taken singing lessons in middle school but now I’m more serious about my voice and learning the skills to correctly use it for singing! Pangrazio has great instructors who are patient and very well trained to help you grow and develop!

My husband and I are both very pleased to have discovered Angeles Academy of Music! Nathanael Pangrazio has been teaching our 6-year-old twin daughters piano and voice lessons for nearly a year now. He is so patient with them, (works splendidly with children), was able to channel their individual talents and apply a curriculum to each of their requirements. We wouldn’t consider seeking elsewhere.

I am pretty convinced Pangrazio has the best piano lessons in LA. My 3 children have been taking piano at the school with Jesica for the last 1 1/2 years. Jesica is a brilliant and kind teacher. Her patiences is truly extraordinary. My children started at ages 3, 5, 6. It is quite astonishing how proficient they are on the piano with only one, half hour, lesson a week.

My daughter takes violin from Isabel and piano with Jesica. We could not be more happy. She is 10 years old and a total beginner on piano and takes violin at her elementary school but in a group setting. Honestly, they are all so flexible and easy to work with. Nathan is kind and easy to deal with. If you want excellent teachers plus a flexible schedule and a fair price, I highly recommend them. I’m so happy with the results and my daughter loves her teachers.